The three MOST common crashes in the UK are

1. Rear end shunts
2. Not giving priority at a junction/roundabout
3. Loss of directional control.

I feel ALL of these common crashes could be directly linked to rushing.

As a driver the expectation to rush is one encouraged by other drivers, and the traffic conditions around us; most journeys seem to have to aim that “I do do this journey as fast as I can”.  Ask yourself what benefits it could have by taking it easier?

• Use less fuel
• Calmer more relaxed drive
• Safer
• Less wear and tear on your car – brakes, accelerator, tyres
• Less likely to crash
• More time to make better decisions on gaps at junctions

OK, so these are fairly obvious, but also the need to rush is usually only in the mind!  How many traffic lights, roundabouts and junctions are on your journey?  How likely is it that you will need to wait/stop or pause at each one for other traffic or a red light?  If this is the case as nine times out of ten it will be – try to take it easier to the next stop, and timing to get to the junction/traffic lights when they are going to be on green, not red.  Effectively this has reduced the time sitting in traffic, and made it safer and more economical.

Many drivers in a rush get closer to the car ahead, this makes no sense to me?  leaving MUCH longer gaps means that

• You can see more passed the car ahead to overtake if necessary
• You are less likely to crash into the back of someone else (most common crash)
• It is not as necessary to brake harshly – reducing your chances of been hit from behind too!

Generally I leave 4 seconds gap between me and the car ahead (double that in the highway code, count a stationary object as the car ahead passes then count to four so you arrive at the stationary object after that point) because it gives plenty of space to see past the car and stop gradually.  I double it to 8 seconds in the rain, and a massive gap of 20-40 seconds in ice and snow.

According to the Guardian Learner drivers will have to pay out for more lessons to keep them up to date in order to have a fighting chance when it comes to test day.   The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) usually postpone tests if conditions are poor understandably for safety reasons.

Reportedly he admitted to the offence commenting that  ’knocked back a rum or two couple of pints of bitter’ said: “The police over-reacted. I don’t regret it as I don’t think I was doing anything wrong. You should be allowed to enjoy yourself.”

It comes only days after the BBC reported on Mobility scooters saying they are a menace.  It became so bad in Norfolk, the Police have help set up a Driving School for Mobility scooters!

The A34 to and from Stafford to Newcastle-under-Lyme has more speed cameras on the one stretch than many other places in the country.  Although speed cameras are a thorny subject – and of course spark debate amongst most drivers speed cameras generally are put in specific accident black spots based on previous KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) statistics across most counties. For Example if many incidents  resulting in drivers been killed or seriously injured near a busy junction on a fast moving road, often a camera is placed there specifically to encourage drivers to slow down.  Speeding between them increases the risk in between where there are other hazards, Staffordshire County Council place mobile camera units at these points, where many are caught out.

Because speed cameras generate income for the government and they are not enforced blind to the situation or traffic conditions they are attacked by drivers.  Without speed a crash cannot happen, the higher the speed the injuries sustained significantly become worse.  The war against speed seems to be a lost cause as over 90% of tickets issued on the road are through speeding.

One of the main issues with speed is the way it is measured; miles per hour.  This causes a physiological effect that drivers believe if they drive faster they will get to their destination quicker. Although technically on a straight and clear road, this may be true, in reality on a hazardous stretch of road it is not.

Take the Motorway, on many occasions I have had cars overtake massively over the limit, when the road slows down due to traffic, often those drivers have made no or little progress more than myself at the speed limit.  On roads with traffic lights, junctions and roundabouts generally driving quickly between them is less effective than planning ahead to be in a the best lane and timing in order not to stop.

Of course speeding itself is not the issue, its the avoidance of the collision with another vehicle; can you stop? (when was the last time you DID an emergency stop?) have you got time to swerve? will the vehicle behind stop if you do?

Also ask yourself the question; have you every tried pulling away from a junction, and just as you go to pull off a vehicle coming WELL over the speed limit appears very quickly and you only just miss them? Is that you?

Some of the most popular cars have to worst failure rate these include Renault Megane, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Mondeo and Renault Clio. 

Studying the results the most shocking is about 7% of failures are due to Tyres.  This is shocking as tyres are the most important safety element to a vehicle. 

The report makes compelling evidence that company vehicles like vans are likely to be poorly managed by Fleet Managers – Quality Fleet Training covers these downfalls.   Many of these faults are simple to identify like faulty lights; others are due to missing regular maintenance like brakes.

The best manufactures seem to be Japanese and include Honda and Toyota.  Information about the MOT test is available here.

According to Stoke City Council work has started on improving the Potteries Way Ringroad system today, which could improve traffic flow in and out of the City Centre.  This is a great boost to Stoke on Trent after many jobs have been lost in the recent recession, according to Stokes’ Sentinel the new store will create 300 new jobs.

According to the press potentially this could be one of Tescos largest flagship Store.

Young drivers are still top on the at risk list, with the first 250mile been the most dangerous where new drivers are seven times more likely to have a crash than any other driver. A2om.com

Parents play a vital role in the learning to drive process, any private practice can be great for a students’ development.  Staffordshire County Council are running a scheme to help parents engage with this process more called The Young Driver Coaching Programme.

It provides materials and information which helps the communication between the Professional instructor and the Parent; the booklet provides advice on how to conduct the private practice sessions and enables the parent to feedback to the instructor and vice-versa.  A common issue is where parents allow their children to drive on a route which is not suitable (too difficult) for them, this can put both parent and child in a stressful and potentially dangerous situation, the coaching programme aims to tackle that issue.

This programme also offers parents to get involved post test with a device fitted to the car where they can monitor the behaviour and driving style of their youngster from Greenroad Technolgies – it is unobtrusive, can cut insurance costs and ulimately make new drivers safer.

Avivas’ survey goes on to suggest

one in 10 young drivers say they are not ready to take out a car alone and should NOT have passed the test

More than one in four young drivers (27%) in the study had no practice lessons at all with their parents and 33% had less than 10 hours with family members before sitting their tests

Check out our Parents of new drivers infomation page, and our blog entry on “Am I ready for my test?”

According to RoSPA (Royal Society for prevention against accicents)

Drivers who use a mobile phone, whether hand-held or hands-free:

• are much less aware of what’s happening on the road around them (e.g. going through red lights)
• fail to see road signs
• fail to maintain proper lane position and steady speed
• are more likely to ‘tailgate’ the vehicle in front
• react more slowly and take longer to brake
• are more likely to enter unsafe gaps in traffic
• feel more stressed and frustrated

Uk law says that you can recieve a fixed penalty of £60 and three points for this, and more if it goes to court.

The three functions the tyres provide are linked to the friction; braking, accelerating and steering, all of which can be jeopardised without frequent checks. 

The Tread 

These are the grooves cut into the tyre, technically they reduce the contact the tyre has with the road in dry conditions; a slick tyre has the most friction between the road and tyre.  However in wet conditions these grooves are critical in order to displace the water away from the tyre so the tyre is touching the road, not floating on the surface of the water – this is called aquaplaning, very similar to icy conditions.

The depth of this is critical in how effective the tyres cut through water.  The legal minimum limit for a car or light van is 1.6mm in the central three quarters of the tyre and around the whole tyre; this is really easy to check. 

Look at the picture, the arrow is pointing at a built in tread depth indicator, it is set at 1.6mm if your tyre wears down to this point it would be at 1.6mm.

The tread depth significantly effects tyre performance particularly on braking the lower it is, generally it is recommended to change the tyre when the get to 3mm or before.  There are issues with environmental impact and some say that can be inefficient, and to use the tyre until about 2mm or even the 1.6mm limit.  Of course this is up to the individual however this can put you are higher risk of skidding on the road, which can have far worse affects.

It is also worth noting the edge of the tyre should have visible depth in order that the tyre effectively displaces water too.

 Tyre Pressures

Tyre pressure refers to the pressure of air inside the tyre there are some significant issues to over and under inflation.  The specified pressures are written in the owners handbook, on the A pillar or in the fuel filler cap. 

 Over Inflation

Where the tyre is inflated more than the specified pressure will reduce the surface area of the tyre touching the road because it turns it into a balloon shape.  Only the centre part of the tyre is in contact with the road; this has serious implications to grip increasing the possibility of skidding.  It also makes the ride very heavy as the ride is not softened by the air as much as it should.  It makes the tyre wear quicker in the centre than the outside, meaning it is likely to need replacing sooner. 

The benefit of over inflation could be increased fuel economy, but this is not worth the loss in grip and uneven wear on the tyre.  Tyre pressures should be checked weekly with a reliable pressure gauge when the tyres are cold, hot tyres would give a false reading, as pressures change with temperature.

Under Inflation

Where the tyre is inflated less than the specified pressure can increase the surface area of the tyre touching the road because it turns it into a wider spread out shape.  The edges of the tyre are in contact with the road more than the centre; this has serious implications to handling and increasing the possibility of the tyre coming off the rim.  It also makes the ride very soft as the ride is not softened by the air as much as it should.  It makes the tyre wear on the outside quicker than the inside, meaning it is likely to need replacing sooner. 

The benefit of under inflation could be increased grip in very icy or snowy conditions, but this is not worth the potential loss of control, and it can use a lot more extra fuel as drag in increased.

Condition of the tyre

Rubber determinates significantly over time; tyres should be replaced every few years.  Rubber which has deteriorated can cause loss of pressure, and can reduce grip with the road surface due to the rubber loosing its properties.   Cuts causes by hitting the kerb, normal knocks, wear and tear significantly changes the tyres shape and effectiveness. 

Valve caps should be replaced to prevent dust from getting in, and air from getting out.

Remember to check the spare regularly. 

Changing a tyre

Changing a tyre by the road side is a risky business, for example your life expectancy on the hard shoulder of the motorway is about two and a half minutes!  Breakdown services should be called for tyre changes by the roadside; it is very risky to try this yourself.  Wheels are tyres are also heavy and can pull your back, if you fitted your tyre incorrectly you could also cause further danger.

To ensure your tyres are kept legal and safe

• Visually check the tread depth and for punctures daily or every journey
• Check tyre pressure weekly/every fill up with a reliable pressure gauge (most petrol stations have them) remember to check your spare
• Check your spare at least once a month
• Change your tyres at 3mm or sooner
• Ensure you have breakdown cover for punctures by the road side.

It raises the issue of driving whilst wearing a veil, of course this is an indiviual choice, and Korsa believes is has no affect on her ability to teach or drive safely.

Watch tonight and make up your own mind.